The hivemind is conquering for me? - Chapter 130

Chapter 130: Petrified Of Mindy
After the quick tactics briefing, the leaders left to give their orders leaving 30 minutes free before we deploy below. “Mindy, do you want me to test you now? It shouldn’t take longer than five minutes.” I asked as she was about to leave the tent.

She hadn’t had the chance to think it over deeply yet, but her excitement won out over fear. “Sure, just promise not to turn my brain into goo.” She wisecracked to make herself less nervous.

I ushered her over to a chair and told her to make herself comfortable. As I then stood behind her I noticed something. “Kat, why are you watching me from behind your divider like a peeping tom?” Kathrine jumped in fright at being caught. “I was curious as to how to process would go and I did not want to interrupt you.” She said meekly.

“Well you can sit at the table, I am proficient enough in my telepathy that a minor presence won’t bother me.” I replied. Once Kathrine was at the table I placed my hands on Mindy’s shoulders. “Ok Mindy, I am about to enter you, let me know if there is any discomfort.”

Unaware of my phrasing, I closed my eyes and like countless times before I extended my telepathic link outwards from my mind. Only instead of linking with the hive, I am about to link with Mindy.

Entering her mind, I could feel how fragile it was. ‘No wonder agitators got the nickname, brain bursters, it really would not be hard.’ After looking around for a moment, I was beginning to think that Mindy did not have a Mindspace and was about to call it quits, but then I noticed something out of the corner of my eye.

It was tiny, The size my Origin was when I was just a baby, but it was there. Exiting her mind for a moment I opened my eyes and I smiled. “Well, well, well. Aren’t you full of surprises. Congratulations, you have a Mindspace. Its dormant right now, but it means you have the capability to wield Psionics.”

Mindy mouth both began to smile and open in surprise at the same time in a funny sight. She had not expected for this test to wield any results and only went along in case by the off chance she was special, like her friend.

“Does this mean I am going to get strong like you?” She asked, finding it hard to quell her excitement. “Well that depends on whether I can turn your Mindspace from dormant to active. And your Mindspace is rather small right now, so I doubt you will have my level of control.” I said giving only truths.”

The cold water stung a little, but Mindy did not care. “Ok then, I am ready for whatever is next.” She said as she closed her eyes.

Delving back into Mindy’s mind, I focused my attention back onto her dormant Mindspace. The first technique I was going to try was massage. I gently applied my tendril’s on the outside of her barriers and began to gently caress. Upon contact, Mindy moaned out unconsciously, she felt something touch her in a way she did not know possible and It felt too good. Kathrine smiled on in watching at the reaction. She knew the feeling Mindy just had and decided not to embarrass the girl.

Mindy, and by extension her Mindspace’s defences, had autonomously began to draw in the latent Psionic energy in the air to attempt to ignite the dormancy, but it was not enough. The pleasure the tendrils brought counteracted and made the defences resistance lazy. Pulling out of Mindy, I informed her I would try a different tactic and If she felt slight discomfort, it was to be expected.

I began to prod Mindy’s barrier with a certain degree of force. Not enough to pierce it, but enough to trick her mind into thinking it was under Psionic attack. Inside of Mindy’s Mindspace, Her origin was tiny and incapable of anything but feeling standard emotions. The constant unease of the attack it was under was filling it with anger. Anger on top of the anger it had been helping the Mind repress all the last few years due to her unhappy standing in life. She no longer loved her husband and had not done so for a while, However she had repressed these feelings and continued with the status quo thinking that she did.

The anger began to boil and boil until the little Origin could no longer contain it any longer and burst out all the Psionic energy it could so it could finally have peace from the incessant banging on the defences.

Meanwhile Mindy screamed out. “Enough!” As she stood up and turned to face me. With my eyes closed, I could feel a beam of Psionic energy attempting to cause harm to me, but the energy I was currently coated with prevented it from doing so. However, being curious I opened my eyes and allowed the harm to befall me.

Looking at my chest where the beam was directed, I could feel it losing its life as it began to turn into stone. “Petrification.” I smiled in nostalgic happiness as my dearest Orchid has the same ability, only hers is biological while Mindy awakened the ability.”

Walking over the Mindy, I placed my hand covered with Psionic energy over her eyes and said. “Congratulations, You have had a Psionic awakening. That being said, I can sense your anger, please try to subside it and don’t let it control your power.”

Mindy tried to resist and break free from my grasp, but what she heard next snapped her back to reality. “Apollo! Your chest! Are you ok?!?” Kathrine yelled out in worry. The shock factor of the yell washed away Mind’s rage and replaced it with genuine fear for her friend.

“A-Apollo? Are you ok?” I sighed in relief when she spoke. “Yes I am fine. Kat, leave the room a moment. I really am fine, this is not even a wound. Her ability is volatile right now and I don’t want you turning into stone ok?” Kathrine wanted to refuse, but she trusted Apollo and left without argument.”

Once Kathrine had left the tent, I explained carefully to Mindy. “Ok Mindy, first of all, that was not your fault. Your anger had awakened your ability and it amplified what you were feeling. Now I am going to remove my hand from your eyes in a second and I need you to stay calm at what you see ok? I am only like this as a visual demonstration of your power is better.

“Ok.” She replied confused. I then proceeded to remove my hand from Mindy’s face and the first thing I noticed were her reptilian eyes staring at my chest with worry. “Oh no. Apollo what happened to you!”

I had allowed the petrification to extend across my whole chest and up to my shoulder. “This, Mindy Is your power. Petrification. It kills and ages the body part hit and turns it into stone. Quite the useful ability against non Psionic, organic targets. You have also seemed to gain a Psionic augment change to your eyes, although they seem to only change when you use your power as they are back to normal now.

Mindy did not seem to listen to me properly as her concern for my form was evident in her body language. Rolling my eyes, I ran Psionic energy across my epidermis and counteracted the petrification.

“See I am fine. Now try to activate your power again.” I said curious to see her eyes change again. “A-Are you sure you are ok? I don’t want to hurt you again.” Mindy said in a way that touched me deeply. “Mindy, the only reason you were able to hurt me is because I let you. Now trust your teacher and activate your power again. You should subconsciously know how to do it.”

Mindy understood what I meant. It was like her eyes grew a new muscle that it could tense. She tensed the imaginary muscle and her sclera turned dark green while her pupils turned vertical and beaded. “Fascinating.” I muttered. “Does the transformation hurt at all?” I inquired as I bent down and stared passionately into them with my scientific curiosity.

Mindy tried not to blush as she replied. “No, no pain. In fact my eyes feel wonderful like this, although as I just said that they are beginning to feel tired.” “Lucky bastard.” I whispered. “Ok switch them back fast.” Mindy did as requested and untensed the imaginary muscle.

“So, from what I have gathered in this small window, Your power is a Physical Psionic ability like What Kathrine has. Over time, the Psionic energy your eyes draw in are going to make you stronger and you are most likely going to live longer. You won’t be able to shoot fire out of your hand’s like me or use things like telepathy, but you are going to be able to use Psionic energy to temper your body in the future. As for your eyes, whenever you switch, you always have your ability active and the Psionic energy will make them sore for now as your body is not used to having it inside of you. Its like training a muscle it will be sore at first, but over time it will grow stronger.”

Mindy absorbed everything about her newfound power with fervour and was excited for what her future had to offer. “Come on, lets go catch up with the others. And don’t use your powers again today.” I warned as I made my way to the tent entrance.

Mindy stayed sat down a moment longer before a question popped into her head that needed answering right away.

“Wait. You can shoot fire out of your hands!”